Oh no. Say it ain’t so. (OK, it ain’t.)

Heard the one about how Starbucks refused to donate coffee to our brave servicemen and women in Iraq? According to an e-mail we just got, the Seattle-based corporation supports the troops, but not the war. So no coffee. (And, the e-mail suggests we return the favor by boycotting Starbucks immediately.) Of course, this whole thing is a hoax. (And so is the one about Oscar Meyer, in case you're wondering.)

But talk about a successful viral marketing effort. People are so outraged by the thought of Starbucks being an ungracious corporation that they just forwarded this message to their friends without a second thought. And as a consequence, Starbucks had to play damage control – even though they didn't cause any damage to begin with!